Three years ago the IDF revealed the existance and some of the service use of the Tamuz, internationally known as the NLOS Spike:

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The Artillery Corps established the guided weapons unit following the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when IDF tanks came under heavy antitank fire and the military had difficulty engaging Syria’s and Egypt’s tanks.

The Artillery arm of the IDF as a whole was greatly expanded after the bitter experiences. Mounted in 6 launchers on an M113 it was meant ot provide precise fire power at long ranges against echelons of armor, supporting for example thinly spread defenders over a large area against a surprise attack.

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The Tamuz precision guided beyond line of sight (BLOS) guided weapon was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems since the late 1970s and has been fielded by the Israeli artillery corps since the early 1980s. The weapon is operated from specially modified M-113 armored personnel carriers known as ‘Hafiz’. The system evolved into a larger family of EO weapons called Spike. In 2009 RAFAEL introduced the Spike NLOS, (Non Line of Sight) considered to be an advanced export version of the Tamuz.

Tamuz was designed as an anti-tank weapon, equipped with a powerful shaped-charge warhead. Similar to other EO guided weapons in Israeli inventory, Tamuz can be autonomously guided with ‘man in the loop’ control, enabling maximum control and flexibility through the engagement. The missile operates in both day and night time and under limited visibility conditions. The advantages of the EO targeting and guidance system is the ability of the weapon to acquire the target in flight, based on partial targeting information. The operator can acquire the desired target as it becomes visible via the missile’s seeker, as the missile approaches the target area.

Helicopters and possibly ships were over the years added as missile platforms:

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Since then the Spike NLOS has been further developed and now it is considered one of the most efficient combat-proven weapon systems for helicopters.

While trying to make the most of this special weapon system the IAF has tested it against aerial targets. It did not surprise the pilots when they launched it against a small drone and hit the target. So the missile is now considered an optional weapon against enemy helicopters and unmanned air systems (UAS).

The Tammuz was the main weapon system of the IAF’s Cobra helicopters and is now carried by the IAF’s Apaches and Apache Longbows.

Instead of helping to stock massed armor it was increasingly used against targets in Lebanon and Gaza. In those relatively small theaters a unit can cover most of it. The British army used Israeli launchers named 'Exactor' in Afghanistan. It is important to point out that the IDF stated at that time that it had replaced them with something new. This year pictures surfaced of a (fromer) MBT 'Magach 5' tranformed into missile launcher. Needless to say that the gun barrel shouldn't be quite what it looks.

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The Magach Spike is fitted with 12 Rafael Tamuz (Spike -NLOS) missile launchers mounted at the rear of the turret.

A curved Spike NLOS antennna is mounted on the top of the turret, which is lowered in road position.

The front part of the turret and the hull are fitted with add-on armour to increase protection against anti-tank missile. More stowage box are fitted to each side of the turret.

Spike NLOS is a multi-purpose, electro-optical missile system with a real-time wireless data link for ranges up to 25km. The Spike NLOS weapon system is a member of the world renowned Spike Family.

So the IDF has decided on a far more heavily armored unit with twice as many ready missiles and possibly more ammunition on board to replace the 'Hafiz', with possibly other platforms using the missile system. The British army on the other hand seems to have had a strong interest a version for 'expeditionary operations'. South Korea has also (or plans to) aquired the NLOS Spike for air and land platforms.

So over the years this type of missile has indeed expanded slowly from it's niche. It will be interesting to look back at the current devlopments in a couple of years.

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